AFSSA

The French Food Safety Agency was created in 1998 to reinforce health, safety and surveillance in France. It is under the triple supervision of the ministries of Agriculture, Health and Consumers affairs. The agency is responsible for carrying out technical support and research activities in the areas of animal health and food safety. It has research laboratories responsible for applied research work and scientific and technical support activities for the authorities, particularly in their capacities as a national or community reference laboratory, as well as for international organisations. The Afssa-Lerpaz laboratory (Research laboratory on zoonosis and animal health) is one of the 13 research laboratories of Afssa, located near Paris at Maisons-Alfort. The Afssa-Alfort is the national reference laboratory on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (and for other of OIE List A Diseases: Swine vesicular disease, Bluetongue, African Horse Sickness). It collaborates with international organizations involved in Animal health (FAO, OIE). The Maisons-Alfort laboratory is a well-equipped facility with high-bio-security level L3+ and facilities for viral culture, molecular diagnosis and analysis and immunology.

Dr. S Zientara

VetMB, PhD, MRCVS
Head of the Virology unit in the Maison-Alfort laboratory and expert in veterinary virology (Bluetongue, African horse Sickness (AHS), West Nile, equine viruses. Previous participant in EU concerted actions on AHS, equine influenza and Bluetongue. Current participant in EU project on FMD (FMD-ImproCon project). Editorial Board member of the scientific journal Veterinary Research.